I’ll add that you can find a lot of clips of these comedians on the most popular video-sharing sites. I found lots of Fry and Laurie, but I also came across a clip of a song from a Cambridge Footlights Revue including the very young Stephen Fry, Tony Slattery (resembles Dudley Moore a bit), Hugh Laurie, and Emma Thompson.
The Catherine Tate Show has its funny moments. Tate is a Tracey Ullmanesque comedian and mimic.
Let me second (or twelfth, whichever we’re on) Peep Show and Spaced. A series that featured one of the main characters on Peep was The Smoking Room, also brilliant. I’ve only seen five or six episodes of Smoking on BBC American; I don’t know if it was short-lived or just part and parcel of BBC Am repeat Hell.
Smoking Room is good, but only as bastard offspring of The Royle Family.
And yes, Peep Show is also very very funny, but suffered here because it got stuck at some godawful 11.45pm slot.
And yes, Bill Bailey’s standup stuff is great fun.
If you like Bill Bailey you can try Never Mind the Buzzcocks a comedy music quiz in which he appears as one of the team captains.
One of the funnier sports quizzes is They Think it’s All Over.
Don’t forget Benny Hill!
Forget Benny Hill.
Don’t forget Peter Cook.
…and me.
“Steptoe and Son”
“Hancock”
“One Foot in the Grave”
Here is a good website
My personal favourite is Reginald Perrin
This American dislikes Are You Being Served but I’ve always enjoyed Allo Allo, which I think is written by the same team. English actors portraying stereotypical members of the French Resistance. I love the bit about the Englishman disguised as a French policeman, and getting all his vowels wrong…
And I love, love, love A Bit of Fry and Laurie. Mr. Simnock is classic of course, but the best bit is “We’re talking about language.” Pure structuralist bliss.
I was a fan of Allo Allo . This produced the famous sketch involving *“The Gateau from the Chateau”, “the dart in the heart”, “the pill in the till”, “the drug in the jug” and “the candle with the handle” *
Spitting Image was rather fun.
Dead Ringers isn’t bad, either! One of the funniest things I’ve seen in years was Jon Culshaw dressed as (and impersonating) Obi-Wan Kenobi in order to buy a used car: “I need passage to Aldershot.”
Halfway through the sketch (which the poor car salesman clearly isn’t in on), someone dressed as Darth Vader shows up and engages in a lightsabre duel with Obi-Wan: “If you strike me down, Lord Vader, you will lose your No-Claims Bonus!”
Great stuff, it really is… it still makes me laugh just thinking about the sketch!
Wonderful stuff 